


Phil's Insecurity

by Persiflage



Series: Johnson & Coulson Exchange 2k17 [9]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Angst and Fluff and Smut, Comfort Food, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fingerfucking, First Kiss, First Time, Hurt/Comfort, Johnson & Coulson Exchange 2k17, Older Man/Younger Woman, POV Phil Coulson, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Skye | Daisy Johnson's Superpowers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-09-15 01:12:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9212834
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Persiflage/pseuds/Persiflage
Summary: Phil's feeling insecure - Daisy soon helps him to feel better (in more ways than one!).





	

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus fic for the Johnson & Coulson Exchange for the prompt _Maybe after a particularly rough mission, Coulson is feeling a little uncharacteristically insecure about being just a puny human._

"What's up, Phil?"

Daisy's quiet voice and the touch of her hand on his shoulder as she sets a bottle of water down on the table pulls Coulson out of his tangled, turbulent thoughts. 

"Are you in pain still?" She gestures at his leg, which is strapped up in bandages beneath the sweatpants he pulled on once the medic had finished with him.

"No," he says automatically, then sees her frown and raised eyebrow, and adds, "A bit. Agent Cheung said the painkillers will take about an hour to kick in."

"I can speed things up for you," she offers, her tone tentative, as it always is when she offers to use her powers on his body – she still carries so much guilt, even though it's nearly 2 years since his leg got injured when she pulled part of the Playground down while under Hive's Sway.

He nods, and she gestures for him to stretch his legs out along the couch in the Director's cabin, which is really Daisy's cabin as leader of the Secret Warriors team. He shifts, carefully swinging his legs up onto the seat, and she moves to crouch beside him, then holds her hands out flat an inch or so above his injured left leg.

He watches as she closes her eyes and he can almost feel her focusing her attention, then she begins a careful, steady vibration of the muscles and nerves inside his leg, gently easing the pain.

"Daisy." He breathes her name involuntarily as she gradually deepens the vibrations, and he feels the pain beginning to ease.

Once she's finished she clasps his leg lightly, one hand just above his knee, the other a little below the injured area. "Better?" she asks softly, her dark eyes fixed on his face.

"Much, thank you."

"Good." She squeezes his knee lightly, then pushes herself to her feet. "What else is bothering you?"

He shakes his head. "It's nothing."

"Phil." There's a slight edge of – not exasperation, as such, but impatience, maybe – in her tone, probably because they both know it's a waste of time him lying to her.

He sighs, then drops his gaze, not wanting to see the look in her eyes when he admits, "It's just self pity, I know, but sometimes I wonder why you want me on your team."

"Oh Phil."

She moves to sit on the other end of the couch, and curls her left hand over his ankle. "Call it insecurity, rather than self pity," she tells him. "You're not the sort to indulge in self pity. And why wouldn't I want you on my team?"

He gives a short, slightly bitter, laugh, and points at his leg. "Because of stuff like this," he tells her. "Daisy, have you seen your team? Everyone else, besides me and Mack, is an Inhuman, and while Mack may in fact be a walking teddy bear, he looks intimidating. Why would you want a human who looks as puny as I do on your team?"

She chuckles, and he frowns at her. She squeezes his ankle. "You're not puny, Phil."

"Compared to everyone else, I am," he retorts, unable to help himself. "And I'm not getting any younger.

"Would you rather remain off the field, then?" she asks. "Run back-end and comms? Because if you'd prefer that, you can do that." 

He shrugs, wishing he hadn't given in to his self pity: he doesn't really want to do comms and back-end stuff, but he doesn't feel able to tell her that after his outburst. 

She carefully lifts up his legs and shifts sideways so his legs are across her lap, and she's sitting closer to him. She wraps her hand around his forearm. "Shall I tell you what people, especially newly transformed Inhumans, see when you're out on the field, Phil?" He swallows, then nods. 

"They see a man who isn't big and intimidating, like Mack. They see a man who isn't doing scary or dangerous things with their weird Inhuman powers, like Joey, Elena, and me. What they see, when they look at you, is a man who looks ordinary and pleasant. A man who's not going to hurt or frighten them. A man who treats the people he's working with as people and colleagues, not as weapons." 

She lifts her hand from his arm to cup his cheek. "They see a man they can trust, who doesn't look dangerous – although he is, if they only knew – who looks like a man they can feel safe with. That, more than anything else, is why I want you on my team, and out in the field with me. The fact that you're not obviously scary or intimidating is invaluable to my team, especially when we're dealing with the younger new Inhumans."

"I – " He tries to say something but can't get the words out, and is embarrassed to realise he's on the verge of crying.

"Phil." Daisy leans in and brushes her lips against his, a gesture so startling that his urge to cry disappears. "I'm not surprised you're feeling insecure – you were jumped on by three Watchdogs at once, after all. But you survived, we all survived – mostly thanks to you keeping your cool." She rests her forehead against his. "And that's the other thing that makes you an invaluable part of my team: you've got vastly more field experience than the rest of us. We need you." She pulls back to look him in the eye. "Okay?"

He nods, still unsure what to say, other than to whisper his thanks. She shakes her head, then carefully swings his legs around and down to the floor before getting to her feet. She holds out her hands. "You should get some rest," she tells him. "I've got to go and talk to the newbies we brought aboard, but I'll check in on you in a bit, and maybe we can have some lunch together and discuss our field reports?"

"Okay."

"Okay." She pulls him to his feet, then wraps her arms around him in a quick, fierce hug. "Why don't you rest in my bunk?" she suggests. "It's not so far to walk."

"Thank you." 

She smiles, then brushes her lips against his again, before moving away, and he's left feeling considerably better, but a little bewildered by the kisses. He makes his way carefully over to the door that leads into the sleeping quarters of the Director's cabin, and goes in to settle himself on the bed. Maybe he can work out a way to ask Daisy why she's kissing him, or what the kisses mean, while he waits for her to talk to the newest Inhumans they've rescued.

Within minutes he's fast asleep.

DJ-PC-DJ-PC-DJ

When he wakes up he's groggy and disorientated, and has a moment of panic because his leg feels oddly clumsy, then everything comes back in a rush, and he realises his leg's heavily bandaged, and he's lying in the bed in what's effectively Daisy's quarters aboard the Zephyr1. She's leaning over him, having just shaken him awake.

"It's a shame to wake you," she tells him, helping him to sit up against the pillows, "but your soup will get cold otherwise."

"Soup?" he asks, a bit confused.

"Lunch," she reminds him, and he nods, then accepts the sturdy bed-tray she sets across his lap which holds a large bowl of tomato and rosemary soup, a plate stacked with thick slices of a baguette, and another plate holding a portion of chocolate cheesecake.

"Did you eat already?" he asks.

She nods, then smiles. "I brought myself a slice of cheesecake to eat and keep you company."

She rounds the bed, carrying a plate and napkin, then climbs up onto the other side of the bed next to him. Her feet are bare he notices in surprise, then smiles when he sees she's got daisies painted on her toenails.

"Themed toenails? Really?" he teases.

She stretches her left foot out and presses it against his ankle. "Admit it, you like it," she says happily.

He chuckles before beginning to eat his soup. "I do," he admits between mouthfuls.

"That's cause you're a dork," she says, and bites into her cheesecake, then unselfconsciously licks her top lip. He turns his attention back to his soup, otherwise he'll just stare like a besotted fool.

"Pot, kettle," he says and eats some bread.

It's her turn to chuckle this time, but she doesn't say any more. Their silence is companionable, but Coulson can feel a rising tension within him, wanting to ask questions, wanting to find out why she kissed him (twice!), and whether he's allowed to kiss her. He forces himself to focus on his lunch instead.

Once he's finished his meal, Daisy takes the tray from him one handed, adding her own empty plate and used napkin to it, then she slides off the bed and carries it across to the vanity in the corner. She comes back to the bed carrying a tablet, and passes it to him before she rejoins him on the bed. She snuggles into his side, leaning against his arm as she begins talking him through her preliminary report for the Director. She smells of her shower gel, he notices, and wonders whether she used the bathroom attached to these quarters and he missed it, before he reins himself back in, aware that he has no business thinking about Daisy like that.

It's hard for him to stay focused on what he's reading, though, because she's positioned herself in such a way that his arm lies between her breasts as she leans into him. Eventually he lifts his arm and wraps it across her shoulders instead, a move she takes in her stride. 

"This is all very cosy, Daisy," he says after a while, "but what's going on?"

"What do you think's going on, Phil?"

"I don't know, exactly. You're snuggling up to me as easily as if this is a normal, everyday occurrence, which it's not, and you kissed me earlier. Twice."

She pulls back and smiles at him. "You liked me kissing you, though," she observes, "and I can tell you're enjoying the snuggling."

"I like you," he points out.

"And I like you," she says. "A lot."

"Like that?" he asks, and she chuckles, which makes him frown. "What?"

"How old are you, Phil, that you're skirting around this instead of outright saying the words? And you're blushing."

He ducks his head. "You haven't exactly had an easy time of it, relationship-wise," he reminds her. "I don't want to presume, and I don't want to read too much into you kissing me. You might just have been feeling sorry for me."

She leans back, and he immediately misses the warmth of her body against his arm. "I don't do pity gestures, Phil. I am sorry you got hurt today, and that it left you feeling insecure, but that's not why I kissed you. I love you, Phil, I've loved you for a very long time, and I realised today that I don't want to waste any more time with you."

"I'm sorry," he says, and reaches over to cup her cheek with his palm. She lifts her hand and presses his hand more firmly against her cheek. "I didn't mean to imply – "

"It's okay," she says, cutting him off. She turns her head and brushes her lips against his hand, and even though it's his prosthetic, he swears he can feel it. Then she leans in and presses her mouth to his.

"I don't want to rush into this," she says softly against his lips. "But I want you, Phil. You're the most important person in my life and have been for a long time, and I want to share everything with you. Is that okay?"

"Daisy." He can barely get her name out, he feels so overwhelmed by his emotions. "Yes," he whispers.

"Good." She holds his face in both her hands and kisses him properly, sliding her tongue into his mouth, and he kisses her back with everything he has until she moans, then pushes him back against the pillows. He's startled when she straddles his lap – didn't she say she didn't want to rush this? – but it turns out she just wants to get herself more comfortable for kissing him: it's less awkward than leaning towards each other.

She slides her hands up underneath the t-shirt he's wearing, and he can't help squeaking in surprise when she tweaks his nipples, which sends her off into a fit of giggles.

"Very romantic," he tells her, rolling his eyes, but he can't help smiling when she keeps on giggling. He wraps his left arm around her lower back, then slips his right hand between their bodies and rubs his middle finger between her legs. She gasps, clearly startled by this move, then she's kissing him aggressively while also unfastening her jeans. She grabs his wrist and guides it inside her pants and they both moan when he slides his finger down over her panty-covered slit and find she's already wet. 

"Inside me," she begs, and he can't refuse. He pulls the fabric aside, then strokes his finger down over damp, bare flesh, making her moan again, before he pushes the tip of his finger into her slick heat. 

"Oh God, Phil." Her moans, combined with the way she's writhing on his lap, makes him stiffen, and he wonders dimly just how slowly they're going to take this.

Afterwards, when they've made each other climax, they snuggle on the bed together, and simply talk: about what's happened to them both since Daisy came aboard the Bus as a Rising Tide hacktivist; about what they want from SHIELD in the future; and how they can achieve their goals, separately and together. They agree that they're not going to try to keep the rest of Daisy's team in the dark about their changed relationship – Daisy tells him that Elena would figure it out and tell everyone anyway, but they also agree that there's no need to tell anyone else beyond the Secret Warriors team – they rarely see anyone back at the Playground anyway, and SHIELD still has it's ridiculous protocols about human-Inhuman interactions in place anyway. Coulson and Daisy both know that Mack and Elena are quietly defying the Director on this matter, so they don't worry about letting their friends know that they're a couple.

"I predict Elena will roll her eyes and say, 'Finalmente' in a very emphatic manner," Daisy tells him, and he chuckles.

"With references to turtle speed?" he asks, and she giggles.

"Definitely. Mack and Joey will both be pleased on our behalf," Daisy says. "And the others probably won't care much either way."

"Good," he murmurs, then leans in to kiss her throat. She moans, and the sound goes straight to his cock, which is frankly embarrassing, but there's no point in trying to hide it, least of all from Daisy.

"Are you sure you want to take it slow?" he asks a little while later when she snakes her hand into his sweatpants and curls her fingers around his hot, hard length.

"I'm beginning to doubt the wisdom of that decision," she says with a smirk, and he lifts his head.

"Let's not," he suggests, and she laughs, then proceeds to strip his clothes off him, and as he grabs her t-shirt and sweater, and tugs them up and off her body together, he decides that turtle speed is definitely too slow. And as Daisy rolls him onto his back and straddles him, he decides that this speed is very good: they've waited quite long enough.


End file.
